Wider Horizons

Students make their way to post-secondary by various routes. Caleb Jones crossed the country to achieve his goals.caleb


“I saw javelin for the first time in 2007 and I won the under-17 Canadians in 2008,” says Lethbridge College student Caleb Jones. “I’ve been lucky. I’ve come into it pretty quickly.” That’s an understatement. Jones advanced so rapidly in the track and field spear throwing event that three years later he’s training for the 2016 Olympics.

By the time he graduated from high school in St. John, New Brunswick, Jones had placed in numerous national and international meets and was seeking status as a carded athlete from Athletics Canada, the national association for track and field. Carded athletes receive financial support through the federal Athlete Assistance Program. “You have to move to a centre and they have to see you with a full-time coach, really going after it, before they’ll fund you,” says Jones. Of the two Canadian throwing centres, Jones chose Lethbridge as the best. He moved from the Maritimes to work with acclaimed coach Larry Steinke. Within months Athletics Canada named him to its 2016 Olympic Development Program.

Despite his focus on javelin and the Olympics, Jones is a realist. “I believe I should be doing something along with my athletics.” While he admits he’ll always be involved in sports, Jones dreams of becoming a top-notch chef.  Shortly after arriving, he enrolled in Culinary Careers at Lethbridge College.

“It’s a very demanding program,” he says. “The chefs make you move. I mean, you are moving, but I really enjoy it. The chefs are awesome.”

Jones’s days are gruelling. “I wake up at five, go to practice for a couple of hours, go to school all day, go back to practice. By the time practice is over I go home, I cook supper, I might talk to my family on Skype a little bit, and then off to bed.

“It’s a lot of work but I’m happy with the balance it gives me. If I don’t have the best practice I go to school and cook and have fun; if I have a rough day at school I go and throw for a couple of hours.”

His first goal is to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. “After that it'll depends on how my body is reacting. If I’m still in one piece, maybe I’ll go to the 2020 Olympics. After that I’d love to have my own restaurant back in New Brunswick. That’s the end goal.”

Wider Horizons
Elizabeth McLachlan
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